1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shock absorbing bow stabilizer that is mounted to an archery bow, for one reason to reduce recoil, shock, vibration and noise when an arrow is shot from the archery bow. More specifically, this invention relates to a shock absorbing bow stabilizer having a plurality of spaced apart vibration dampening elements each including radially extending asymmetrical dampening extensions.
2. Description of Related Art
Various bow stabilizers and vibration dampeners have been developed to absorb shock when an arrow is shot from an archery bow. Conventional bow stabilizers generally have a hollow cylinder filled either with a viscous fluid or solid particles to attenuate vibration when an archery arrow is released from an archery bow. For example, one conventional bow stabilizer has a hollow body that defines a sealed chamber that is partially filled with granular solids. The bow stabilizer is mounted to the archery bow and has a counterweight that is fixedly adjustable along a longitudinal axis of the elongated hollow body. The hollow body has two end plugs, each end plug having a connecting portion connected to a plug portion. The connecting portion has a peripheral knurled surface to secure the end plug to the hollow body of the bow stabilizer. The end plugs are typically press fitted to the hollow body to contain the granular solids within the hollow body.
After the archery arrow is released from the archery bow, the archery bow recoils in a cyclic fashion. During a first recoil, the granular solid particles move in a direction towards a first end portion of the chamber and collide with an interior surface of the end plug which seals the opening at the first end portion. During an opposite second recoil, the granular solid particles move in a direction toward a second end portion of the chamber and collide with an interior surface of the end plug which seals the opening at the proximal end portion. This cycle of recoils continues for several milliseconds before the archery bow comes to rest. Because the interior surfaces of the end plugs can be generally flat, a relatively large number of particles collide with the interior surfaces during the recoil cycle. The impact of the particles with the interior surfaces of the bow stabilizer contributes to a recoil vibration having an increased amplitude.
There is a continuing need for improved vibration dampening archery stabilizers.